Written Answers Friday 25 July 2008

Scottish Executive

Angling

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that Scotland achieves best economic value from the common shared resource of species of fish of no commercial value to the catching sector.

Mr Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government aims to ensure that all fish stocks in Scottish waters, whether these have a commercial value or not and no matter where they are located, are managed sustainably for the long term maintenance of our marine environment and the communities and industries it supports.

Angling

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what specific measures it is taking to protect inshore species of value in recreational sea angling from being totally depleted through commercial fishing policies and practices.

Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government aims to ensure that all the sea fisheries management measures that it takes within Scottish waters should promote the long term sustainability of all stocks, whether inshore or offshore, and the marine environment as well as the communities and industries that these support.

Angling

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what value it places on recreational sea angling.

Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government recognises that recreational sea angling can offer valuable opportunities for people to access and enjoy the marine environment, develop a range of practical skills, derive pleasure from their participation in an exciting and sometimes competitive sport and enjoy the eating of those fish "caught for the pot". Recreational sea angling is a niche tourism market that can contribute to the economies of coastal communities, for example via bed and breakfasts or from hire of charter boats. However, there is currently very little objective or detailed data on the scale and economic impact of recreational sea angling in Scotland. To address this, the Scottish Government has commissioned Glasgow Caledonian University to undertake a study to look at these things. The study is ongoing, progressing well and scheduled to report in November this year.

Angling

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what economic value it estimates recreational sea angling is worth to the Scottish economy.

Richard Lochhead: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-7825 on 18 January 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Animal Welfare

David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the results of its first stage consultation on banning electric shock training devices in Scotland; when the second stage of the consultation will be issued; whether it will make a ministerial statement on the issue, and when it is likely that the Executive will bring forward regulations under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 to ban the sale and use of electric shock collars and similar animal training devices.

Richard Lochhead: This issue was the subject of a consultation at the end of last year. A large number of responses were received but there was no consensus view. This is a complex issue and the consultation responses and research papers, many very detailed, are still being considered, along with ongoing research. A decision on whether to introduce legislation which would ban or regulate electric shock training devices in Scotland will be made in due course.

Central Heating Programme

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people who have had a free central heating system installed under the central heating programme since its inception would have been excluded from applying as a result of the changes made to the eligibility criteria announced on 22 May 2008.

Stewart Maxwell: All householders who were eligible for the Central Heating Programme before the Cabinet Secretary’s announcement of 22 May remain eligible under the regulations.

  Prior to the Cabinet Secretary’s announcement of 22 May, householders with a broken system were not required to provide information on their pension credit status nor categorised according to their age. Therefore, the information requested on the number of people in the priority group, prior to the prioritisation being introduced on 22 May, is not available

Economy

Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what meetings it has held with Vion to discuss the company’s future plans for Scotland.

Richard Lochhead: First Minister met Mr Peter Barr, Chairman of Vion UK, and Daan van Doorn, Vion’s Chief Executive Officer, on 3rd July to discuss a range of issues relating to Vion’s takeover of the Grampian Country Food Group.

Education

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of pupils left each local authority secondary school in Glasgow with at least one higher in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Maureen Watt: Scottish Schools Online:

  www.ltscotland.org.uk/scottishschoolsonline provides comprehensive statistical data on secondary schools in Glasgow. Taken together this data gives a rounded picture of school performance that one statistic in isolation is not capable of providing.

Environment

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to improve the provision of guidance in relation to the assessment of contaminated land.

Richard Lochhead: In addition to the statutory guidance which was last revised in 2006, the Scottish Government is working with DEFRA, the other devolved administrations, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the Environment Agency to review the current technical guidance on risk assessment, known as the Contaminated Land Exposure Assessment (CLEA) framework, used in the determination of contaminated land. This guidance, first issued in 2002, provides a methodology to help assess whether there is a significant risk to human health from exposure to a particular contaminant on a given site.

Environment

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that appropriate standards exist for the assessment of groundwater contamination.

Richard Lochhead: Threshold values, established for various pollutants under the terms of the Groundwater Directive, are used in assessing the chemical status of a groundwater body. The exceedance of a threshold value is used as a trigger for investigations of whether the pressures on the groundwater body concerned would compromise the quality of drinking water sources, the quality of surface water into which the groundwater flows, or the quality of any wetlands connected to the groundwater. The standards applied for the regulation of pollution or the remediation of contaminated land are therefore specific to the groundwater body concerned.

Food

Jim Hume (South of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will deliver its National Food and Drink Policy.

Jim Hume (South of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will (a) begin and (b) complete its investigation into "Scottish" labelling of food and drink.

Jim Hume (South of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will (a) begin and (b) complete its inquiry into affordable access to food, and whether the inquiry will be limited to Scottish issues or take a global view.

Jim Hume (South of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the terms and remit of its inquiry into affordable access to food will be.

Jim Hume (South of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made towards the target of growing Scotland’s food and drink industry to reach £10 billion by 2017.

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in formulating a national food policy and publishing advice to the public on ways to protect the environment, it has taken account of the view of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation that "the livestock sector has such deep and wide ranging impacts that it should rank as one of the leading focuses for environmental policy".

Richard Lochhead: As I announced on the 19th June, the aim of Scotland’s first national food and drink policy is to promote Scotland’s sustainable economic growth by ensuring that the Scottish Government’s focus in relation to food and drink, and in particular our work with Scotland’s food and drink industry, addresses quality, health and wellbeing, and environmental sustainability, recognising the need for access to affordable food for all.

  I have set up a framework to ensure delivery of this aim. Acknowledging the momentum for change already built up through the National Discussion on Food, the framework going forward will encompass a high level of transparency and engagement.

  I will be chairing a leadership forum, whose remit takes an overarching view of the work being taken forward by five thematic working groups encompassing existing Scottish Government initiatives, alongside a number of new projects being commissioned by the five specific thematic work streams.

  The leadership forum exists to ensure a consistency of approach and overall adherence to the aim of the Food and Drink Policy. I will be inviting four key individuals to join the leadership forum, acting as "champions" for, respectively; sustainable economic growth; health; sustainability; and access to affordable food. In addition the forum will also include each of the chairs of the work streams, at least one other Scottish Government Minister and a representative of the drink sector.

  The five key themes are (1) Sustainable Economic Growth; (2) Food and Drink Choices; (3) Enhancing Scotland’s Reputation for Food and Drink; (4) Walking the Talk; and, (5) Affordability, Access and Security. Each theme will be chaired independently, with support from Scottish government officials. The Chairs of each thematic group will be part of the leadership forum.

  It is important that the food and drink policy aims and initiatives for Scotland are not piecemeal nor static but remain flexible and adaptive to the rapid changes in domestic and food supply and consumption challenges. I will therefore be asking the work streams for their initial findings and recommendations in early 2009.

  My announcement on the 19 June also acknowledged the breadth of initiatives already underway across Government, it is important that we do not lose sight of these, nor the very enthusiastic resolve for real change.

Food

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it would recommend that Scots should consume less meat in order to reduce greenhouse gases.

Richard Lochhead: The reduction of greenhouse gases is a complex issue. The 80% emissions reduction target set out in the recent public consultation on proposals for a Scottish Climate Change Bill will require action to be taken by all parts of society to contribute to the delivery of that target.

Food

Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much Scottish produced beef has been exported by (a) weight and (b) value in each of the last five years for which figures are available and how much of these exports comprised beef of (i) Scottish and (ii) foreign origin.

Richard Lochhead: From 2003 to 2007, the value of Scottish beef exports was as follows:

  

 
 2003
 2004
 2005
 2006
 2007


£ million
 Nil
 Nil 
 Nil
 12
 15



  No precise information is available on the weight of these exports.

  It is estimated that 10-15% of exports were non-Scottish origin.

Livestock

Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-12010 by Richard Lochhead on 2 May 2008, what progress is being made with measures to support pig farmers.

Richard Lochhead: Since the answer to question S3W-12010, the Pig Sector Task Force has completed its work and reported to the Scottish Government. I am currently considering the report and will respond as soon as possible.

Police

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents of fuel theft have been (a) reported and (b) prosecuted in each police board area in each month since May 2007.

Kenny MacAskill: Information on thefts at the level of detail requested is not held centrally.

Police

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers have been recruited in each year since 1996-97, broken down by police force.

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers have retired, having served over 25 years or due to ill health, gratuity or compulsory retirement, in each year since 1996-97, broken down by police force.

Kenny MacAskill: Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland collect and publish annual data on police recruitment, the latest figures for which are available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Justice/Police/15403/Statistical .

Police

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its estimate is of the number of police officers there will be in each year to 2011-12, broken down by police force.

Kenny MacAskill: The number of police officers in each force in future years will depend on a number of factors including levels of retirements and forward recruitment projections. These are matters for individual chief constables and police boards.

Police

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its estimate is of the number of police officers that will retire, having served over 25 years or due to ill health, gratuity or compulsory retirement, in each year to 2011-12, broken down by police force.

Kenny MacAskill: This information is not held centrally.

Police

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its estimate is of the number of police officers that will voluntarily resign in each year to 2011-12, broken down by police force.

Kenny MacAskill: Voluntary resignation is, by its very nature, impossible to predict.

Police

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its estimate is of the number of police officers that will leave the police force for reasons other than retirement or voluntary resignation, including death, discharge during probation, dismissal or resignation resulting from conduct hearings, conduct regulations and unspecified reasons, in each year to 2011-12, broken down by force.

Kenny MacAskill: No estimate has been made.

Police

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its estimate is of the number of civilians that will undertake duties which are currently normally performed by police officers, in each year to 2011-12, broken down by police force.

Kenny MacAskill: No estimate has been made. Levels of civilianisation within forces is a matter for individual chief constables and police boards.

Police

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its estimate is of the number of civilians that will undertake the investigation of "low level" group three and four crimes such as vandalism and theft, currently normally performed by police officers, in each year to 2011-12, broken down by police force.

Kenny MacAskill: No estimate has been made. This is a matter for individual chief constables.

Police

Margaret Mitchell (Central Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions police have escorted abnormal loads in each of the last four years, broken down by month.

Kenny MacAskill: This information is not held centrally.

Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when changes to the system of vetting and barring adults working with children and vulnerable groups will be introduced.

Adam Ingram: Through the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007, the Scottish Government is implementing a strengthened and robust vetting and barring scheme that will ensure that those who have contact with vulnerable groups through the workplace do not have a history of abusive behaviour and deliver a fair and consistent system that will be quick and easy for people to use and end the need for multiple, written disclosure checks.

  A date for the PVG scheme to go live is still to be determined and will be announced well in advance of commencement to allow organisations and groups who work with vulnerable groups adequate time to prepare. Implementation activity is well underway and work is currently ongoing on developing infrastructure, IT systems and information flows, preparing guidance and training materials and on ensuring that the Scottish scheme dovetails with the scheme being developed for the rest of the UK. In addition, Ministers are currently considering the detailed analysis (published on 27 June 2008) of the consultation on policy proposals for secondary legislation and expect to publish a response after the summer recess.

Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, following the announcement by the Minister for Children and Early Years regarding new plans for vetting and barring adults working with children and vulnerable groups, what changes there will be to the system proposed in the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007.

Adam Ingram: There are no changes planned to the system of vetting and barring set out in the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007. Ministers are now considering the detailed analysis of a recent consultation on policy proposals for secondary legislation and expect to publish a full response after the Scottish Parliamentary summer recess. Secondary legislation will be laid before Parliament in due course and several significant Scottish Statutory Instruments will be consulted on in draft in advance of that.

Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether secondary legislation to implement the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007 will remove the need for people to make multiple applications to Disclosure Scotland.

Adam Ingram: The Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007 will significantly reduce the need for employees (paid and unpaid) to complete multiple disclosure applications. It introduces a membership scheme that people working with vulnerable groups will join. They will need to complete a full application when first joining the scheme. Scheme records will then be kept updated, so that any subsequent checks, for example when an individual changes jobs, will be quicker, easier and, in most cases, cheaper to handle.

Recycling

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it gives to local authorities to support improved recycling, reduction and reuse of waste from their facilities.

Richard Lochhead: Envirowise Scotland have information for local authorities on resource efficiency and sustainability issues, in relation to their own buildings and operations on their website. http://www.envirowise.gov.uk/localauthority .

Regeneration

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is considering the establishment of a brownfield regeneration forum.

Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish Government will be a member of the recently established UK National Brownfield Forum, which is being sponsored by the Department of Communities and Local Government and Defra. We will await further developments with the UK National Brownfield Forum before considering whether there is any requirement for the establishment of a distinct brownfield forum for Scotland.

Rendition Flights

Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Justice in a Scottish Government press release of 11 June 2007 that "the Scottish Government opposes illegal rendition flights" and his consultation with civil liberties groups on the matter, what progress has been made to ensure that aircraft engaged in a rendition circuit will not be able to make use of facilities at Scottish airports.

Kenny MacAskill: I refer the member to the Foreign Secretary’s written statement to the House of Commons on 3 July (Hansard 58WS). The Scottish Government welcomes confirmation by the US Authorities that there has been no use of Scottish airports for rendition flights since September 2001, and their confirmation that there will be no use of UK territories by such flights in future without the express permission of the UK Government. As you will see, the Foreign Secretary has confirmed that such permission would only be granted if the UK Government was satisfied that the rendition would accord with UK law and our international obligations. The Scottish Government remains firmly opposed to rendition flights and believes that they could never be in accordance with domestic or international law. Therefore, we continue to expect that there will be no use of Scottish territory for this purpose under any circumstances.

Rural Development

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-13971 by Richard Lochhead on 13 June 2008, how many applications it has received to the Scottish Rural Development Programme, excluding Rural Development Contracts – Rural Priorities, broken down by funding mechanism and showing how many applications under each mechanism have been (a) accepted or (b) rejected.

Richard Lochhead: A total of 16,263 applications have been received to date under the Scotland Rural Development Programme, excluding Rural Development Contracts - Rural Priorities. The number of applications approved and rejected, for each of the seven mechanisms, is shown in the following table.

  It should be noted that each mechanism has its own data capture, assessment and approval processes and many of the applications received are still in the process of being data captured or assessed.

  

 Mechanism
 Applications rec’d to date
 Approved
 Rejected


 LEADER
 107
 65
 8


 Land Managers’ Options (LMOs)
 3,303
 0
 0


 Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS)
 12,531
 12,088
 317


 Food Processing, Marketing and Co-operation (FPMC)
 42
 0
 0


 Forestry Challenge Funds
 0
 0
 0


 Skills Development
 0
 0
 0


 Crofting Counties Agricultural Grants Scheme (CCAGS)
 280
 261
 12

Rural Development

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-13791 by Richard Lochhead on 13 June 2008, how many applications it has now received during the first stage of the Rural Development Contracts – Rural Priorities application process.

Richard Lochhead: As at Monday 14 July, a total of 1367 completed first stage first stage applications (Statements Of Intent) had been submitted under the Rural Development Contracts – Rural Priorities mechanism of the Scotland Rural Development Programme.

Rural Development

Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what response it has received from Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel on the reinstatement of (a) the animal health and welfare scheme, (b) farm assurance membership schemes and (c) the farm visits programme to the Scotland Rural Development Programme.

Richard Lochhead: Following detailed negotiations with the European Commission, we are submitting changes to the Scotland Rural Development Programme aimed at including an animal welfare management programme; including three additional food quality assurance schemes (the QMS Assurance Scheme - Cattle and Sheep, the QMS Assurance Scheme - Pigs, and the Scottish Quality Assurance Combineable Crops Scheme); and correcting a number of typographical errors in the Programme. During discussions with the Commission it became clear that, under the terms of the Rural Development Regulation (EC Regulation 1698/2005), it would not be possible to reinstate the farm visits programme.